National Republican., 1887-08-06

but even their deliberations had an end,
and when prompter Barbour gave them the
clew the committee came in Qeft-hand
upper entrance) aud was delivered Of the
child born in Washington several days be.
fore.
OF course the people were congratulated
on the good government, state and federal,
now on tap by the Democratic party, though
particulars were omitted as to what made
either so good. And equally Of course came
"the point with pride" to "pledges faith
fully kept" 1t must have made the mana
gers laugh in their sleeves when this was
read and they remembered how cycry pledge
made In the last state campaign but one
that to put Democrats in all the Offices
had been broken as effectively and into as
many fragments as the kick of mule
would shiver Bohemian vase.
The first Of the regular resolutions In
dorsed the administration with all the ad-
jectives that Col. Lamont had at his com.
mand when It was written, aud promised It
delegation Of Virginia Democrats at the
next convention that would be for Grover
Cleveland first, last, and all the time-from
alpha to omega, from Dan to Bersheba,
from the north star to the cross Of Magel-
lar.
The second resolution is what the genial
"Dick" Swiveller would call ian aston.
isher;" that is, II the inside workings were
not known. 1t demands the unconditional
repeal of all the internal revenue taxes,
proposes TO relieve both the overburdened
tobacco raiser and the down.trodien (?l
whisky dlstiller OF all further annoyauc
from revenue officers. This Is really shrewd
free trade work. The Sl2O,O)) O)) OF inter
nal revenue receipts tiken from the incons
will reduce 1t below the proper STANDARD.
Then the tariff will have to be scalei dow
to raise the revenue, as that would BE- TIL
quickest way, and 1t also endingers, b,
asking too much at this time, the repeal OF
the tobacco tax. The Roanoke convention
seemed to think that cheap whisky wa
better than cheap sugar. Democrats al
ways take their drinks straight.
The third resolution is devoted to the
tariff. 1t consists Of words $50 adjusted
in their application" as to mean anything
| according to the wishes OF the interpreter.
| They mean free tflde protection, or protec.
tive free trade, or anything else. Daniel,
not Daniele, nor was his surname Lamont,
translated instantly the mystic words traced
| by q solitary hand on the walls Of the ban
quet hall OF Belshazzar; he made their
meaning plain; they had but one, but the
| Chaldean cages who could not do that
would find no difficulty in getting dozen
opposite meanings out Of the third section
Of the Roanoke platform.
Section treats of the state debt, and Is
exceedingly funny. No end man at a
minstrel show ever got of better thing
than this section, when we consider who It
is that did 1t. The first clause upholds the
action Of the extra session Of the general
assembly for refusing to accept the terms
offered by the states creditors. Every man
in the convention, except some of the rlral
delegates, knew that the extra session was
not called to consider the debt question
ard did not seriously consider it, but did
attend strictly to the business for which 1,
was assembled, that Is. pass the laws ueces
sary to enable the accomplishment Of GER
| tain big railroad deals. The other CLAUSE
declares in favor Of the Riddlebsrger bill
and pledges the Democratic party to "enac
all laws necessary to render such settle
ment effective, final, and decisive"
This is just what the party did years ago
and regained power by 1t. How It carried
out those pledges every one knows. Demo
cratic legislators passed the bills known as
coupon killers,n and this convention
which indorses the Riddleberger bill, Il
one resolution and In another deprecates an
condemns "as unwise and unpatrlotic" tn
use of coupons in the payment Of taxes
| when 1t knows that the first section OF thl
bill, which provides for the bonds, says
"The coupons on said bonds shall be reeeiy
able at ard after maturity for all taxes
debts, dues, and demands due the state
ard this shall be expressed on their face.
such duplcity will fool no one.
The fifth resolution In It's first clause read
rs follows:
The Democratic party pledges itself to urp
upon Congress the ju'ticc oi its practical re,
ogu!tou OF Niielnia's equitable demands e
r'm sensation for her past munlcent eonoc
Sons 10 TIE territory of the federal Cover:
melt.
II the patriotic men who made the:
"muniflcent concessions" can know OF tn
acts Of their degenerate descei dants the
bones would "burst the cerements that bin
them" to express their disgust, Virgini
had men In those days, aud they freely CAV,
as they said, the Northwest Territory "t
secure the adoption of the federal const
tuition, the question Of the greatest m ,gn
tude," and now Virginians are whinin
| nh nj innf ha la,
Of this section reads:
And also for loss to Virginia for dIsmembe
neDt of her territory and consequent rciuc,in
| of her taxable values, In order that the filn
justly due Virginia from this source may
, available to aid in relieving the taxpayers fro
the burdens of their present financial dinicu
! ties.
This is all right and proper, and like q
things good in the Democratic party
appropriated from the Republicans.
The sixth section pledges the party
provide for the disabled soldiers aud h
3 widows of those "who died from the efIe {,
8 of wounds received iu the defense of Ii
= state" That Is for the ex-eonfederate
1 and the section justifes Virgiua's actl1
} in the rebellion by speaking of 'the defen
of the state" Not word ls said In fay
I Of national pensions for those who we
"dsabled in defense of the Union"
The seventh section is the subimation
= impudence. II claims that the Democra
l are the founders OF the public school syste
y OF Virginia, when every one who can re-
h knows that the school system was proyld
+ for 10 the Republican convention whi
Y adopted the constitution Of Virginia darl
reconstruction, and that the most CO
r spicuous act Of the Democrats IN Virginia
relation to public schools was the TAXI
about u million dollars put into the scho
. fund through Republican acts, and app
p priatinG 1t to pay Democratic state ole,